Tawny Newsome Brings Lower Decks Comedy Chops To Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

2 days ago 6

Boimler and Mariner in Star Trek live action

John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 4,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

Tawny Newsome brings her comedic voice to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, building upon lessons from Star Trek: Lower Decks' creator Mike McMahan. Executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres with two episodes on January 15 on Paramount+.

After voicing Ensign/Lieutenant Beckett Mariner for five seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Tawny Newsome joined Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as a writer and co-producer. Newsome was the Starfleet Academy writers' room's 'continuity cop,' and she co-wrote Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 with Kirsten Beyer.

At Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's world premiere in New York City, CBR asked Tawny Newsome about what she learned from Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan. Newsome explains how she carries on McMahan's philosophy of writing comedy that “doesn’t punch down on [Trek], but it lifts it up and celebrates it.” Check out Tawny's clip below:

Star Trek has always included humor, but Mike McMahan proved that Star Trek could work in a half-hour animated format. Star Trek: Lower Decks was genuinely funny and contained countless loving references to Star Trek's characters and canon while still delivering outer space voyages that were pure Star Trek at its core.

As a writer, Tawny Newsome was called "a stone-cold killer" by Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman. A lifelong Star Trek fan and a comedian, Newsome brings both virtues to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which balances lighthearted moments with Star Trek's core tenets of teamwork and adventure.

Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid made Star Trek history when they brought their animated Starfleet Ensigns to live-action Star Trek: Lower Decks' crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, "Those Old Scientists" is a brilliant comedic romp and a high-water mark of Star Trek on Paramount+.

Meanwhile, Tawny Newsome is also developing Star Trek's first live-action comedy. As she awaits word on whether her Star Trek series gets a greenlight from Paramount Skydance, Tawny's comedic sensibilities will be on display in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which also carries some of Star Trek: Lower Decks' humorous DNA.

Watch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's "Carry the Legacy and Create the Future" trailer below: